Subject: Street Talk: Challenge Grants "Are Go" Edition From: LA Great Streets Date: 02/03/201 6 01 :23 PM To: Mike

Eric

Garcetti

#lamayor

STREafiMMb^NG

February 2016

f Share

H Forward

Subscribe to Street Talk

Councilmember Mike Bonin rides a pop-up protected bike lane at the Make It Mar Vista Challenge Grant event in November 2015.

Dear neighbor,

Welcome to the February 201 6 edition of Street Talk, the Great Streets Initiative's monthly newsletter. This month, we’re highlighting our upcoming Challenge Grant projects. In the months of February and March, seven community-led events across Los Angeles will temporarily transform our Great Streets into vibrant public spaces. We invite you to join us at all of them to help our community partners create a vision for each of their Great Street corridors.

You can find all the details about these events and more on our events calendar. Click each image below for a link to the project website.

If you're reading this and need more great news in your life, checkout our blog, like us on Facebook. follow us on Twitter, or double-tap us on Instaaram (if you’re into that sort of thing).

See you on the street!

-The Great Streets team

[Relvisit [Relseda

Reseda Boulevard in ftorthridae

February 6, 2016

VST

SEDA

Click image for more details

muu--u i =.

Connect the Dots

Van Nuys Boulevard in Van Nuys February 20, 2016

Click image for more details

Youth Envisioned Streets

Central Avenue in Historic South Central February 27, 2016

Click image for more details

Pacoima Street Values

Van Nuys Boulevard in Pacoima March 6, 2016

FACADE

LANDSCAPING

PILOT

POP - UP ART WALK GALLERY SPACE

MURALS ON ROLL-DOWNS

SHARED

SIGNAGE

NEW MURAL

PLAZA-STYLE

PARKLETTE

OUTDOOR

SEATING

WALKWAY TO RE-PROGRAMMED PARKING LOT

STREET

VENDING

STATION

TEMPORARY

CROSSWALK

NEW

PERFORMANCE

AREA

NEW MURAL

COMMUNITY RUN POP - UP PROGRAMS

PARKLETTE

PILOT

Supporting Vending, Arts and Public Space through Informal Use

Pacoima Street Values:

MERCHANDISE

DISPLAY

Click image for more details

Nuestra Avenida

Cesar Chavez Avenue in Boyle Heights Saturday, March 12, 2016

Click image for more details

FIGJAM

North Figueroa in Highland Park Saturday, March 19, 2016

f ? A

i r

: r*

A tjBBaA

START WITH YOU

M MORE

Click image for more details

lagreatstreets

org

HOME ABOUT STREETS CHALLENGE GRANT RESOURCES UPDATES SOCIAL MEDIA GET INVOLVED

Garcetti •’

GREAT STREETS

■ a

jju »

tin

Martha and Michael Esquivel, Mother and Son Chefs of Alta California Fonda

In Spanish “fonda” means “inn." And while the warm, inviting Mexican restaurant on Pico in Mid-City is built to look like a welcome place to rest your head, it is the people and food inside that bring to life its name, Alta California Fonda.

New Website!

In case you missed it, we've rolled out a new website to help tell the story of Great Streets, keep you up-to-date on all our projects, and connect stakeholders with resources and tools.

Check it out at lamayor.org/greatstreets and let us know what you think!

“I grew up in the neighborhood,” Michael says, “and we saw that Pico has a lot of

Small Business Spotlight: Alta California Fonda, Pico Boulevard

The Esquivel family opened the restaurant in February 2014, with matriarch Martha running the kitchen, her husband Rey providing capital and food service expertise, daughter Nicole serving customers, and son Michael doing a little bit of everything.

linn,

potential and wanted to be a part of that. We wanted to give hard-working people from the community very delicious food that you can usually find in places like Beverly Hills or Santa Monica.”

While Michael mostly works as the restaurant’s general manager, he also serves tables and does a lot of cooking on the weekends, experimenting with new flavors and dishes. Martha is the real heart behind the menu, cooking everything from scratch, checking food quality and making all final culinary decisions. Owning and running such a tight-knit family business can be a challenge. “The most important thing is that we like what we do.” says Michael. “The restaurant has brought us closer because we like bringing really good food to people and making customers smile and want to come back. To my mother and me, food is art.”

While there may be art being served inside Alta California Fonda, outside on Pico Bl there are improvements that would be welcome by the Esquivel family, such as more street lighting and less vacant storefronts. Michael recently learned about the City’s new Arts Activation Fund and wants to partner with an artist to create a piece, perhaps on the exterior of his restaurant. He hopes it will help make Pico a more colorful street and bring more foot traffic and business. “It would let people know the street is changing.” he says.

And also invite more people into his family’s “fonda”.

Alta California Fonda I 5303 W. Pico Blvd

Our Blog Email Facebook Twitter Instagram About

This email was sent to mike@wilshirecenter.com why did I get this? unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences Los Angeles Great Streets Initiative, Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti ■ 200 N Spring St. ■ Los Angeles, CA 90012 ■ USA